Yorkshire have been knocked out of the Friends Provident Twenty20, but they restored some much needed pride in their final North Division game with a six-wicket win over Derbyshire.

It brought to an end a run of four straight defeats in the tournament – not enough to stop them bowing out at the group stage, but enough to give them important momentum to take into their vital LV= County Championship clash at Essex this week.

After a tight bowling display left them with a victory target of 138, a third-wicket stand of 85 between captain Andrew Gale and Gary Ballance helped see them home with four balls to spare.

“It is frustrating to be out,” admitted Herschelle Gibbs, the Tykes overseas star who was playing his final game for the county because of the early elimination.

“This group of players is easily talented enough to make the quarter-finals.”

Gale, who hit 79 not out in this fixture last year, came to the crease with his team in trouble, after Gibbs, who made five, and Adam Lyth, who made ten, had departed early to leave Yorkshire on 33-2 in the fifth over.

He soon got into his stride though, hitting a 56-ball innings of 55 to entertain a disappointingly small crowd at the County Ground.

Gale was ably supported by Gary Ballance throughout, who made a career-best 48 not out.

It meant that by the time the skipper was clean bowled by Charl Langeveldt in the 18th over, Yorkshire only needed 20 to win from 16 balls.

That soon became seven from the last over, despite York-born Jonathan Bairstow being run-out for two and, after Ballance had run a quick single, Clint McKay finished things off with a six.

Unfortunately, the victory was academic.

This was because the Tykes exit from the Twenty20 had been confirmed on Friday night, after Northamptonshire had won to end their hopes of making the quarter-finals.

That disappointment may well have been the reason for such a lacklustre performance on Saturday at Nottinghamshire. Once more, as it has been so often in cricket’s shortest form this season, the batting was the problem.

After winning the toss and putting the Outlaws into the field they only made 112-7 from their 20 overs.

Lee Hodgson, one of two players making their Twenty20 debut, deserved praise for his 39, but only two other players made it into double figures.

Samit Patel, who made 40, and David Hussey, who struck an entertaining 37, then comfortably led Nottinghamshire to the victory target of only 113 with 26 balls to spare.

Yorkshire’s failure to qualify for the last eight means the wait for a spot in finals day goes on, with the Tykes now one of only four counties to have never made the showpiece event.

The inquest into how and why they dropped away so dramatically this year, after being second in the group following the ninth of 16 games, will be beginning this morning.

Their elimination from the tournament means both Gibbs and McKay have played their last games for the county.

However, McKay will need to spend a bit longer in Yorkshire – he has been called up as cover to the Australia squad for the second test against Pakistan, which starts at Headingley on Wednesday.